This week at Orchestra Hall

Glad we're back... it just goes to show that this forum is something not to be taken for granted. It only is here through the sacrifices of a few good people that care enough to put it up and keep it up. You have my thanks.

To the subject:

This week at Orchestra hall, Minneapolis, we're featuring a composer from Finland that deserves your attention. His name is Kalevi Aho and we're playing his 7th symphony. It's a very clever thing called "The Insect Symphony" and it's a characterization of certain insects and their "lives". A lot of it is tongue-in-cheek and some of it is laugh-out-loud funny, I kid you not.

Aho is a superb craftsman... knows what he's doing when he writes. The trumpet parts are tricky, rhythmic, and well-written. My favorite movement of this six movement work is a lament for a bunch of Dorbeetles whose dungball has been stolen. There's another that is a jazzy foxtrot for buterflies with some great licks.

I'm excited about this guy because he's a modern composer that you can actually enjoy and not feel like it's all over your head nor do you come away feeling condescended to. It's just... right.

Once again, I have to give it up for Osmo Vanska because he manages to find composers like this very consistently. It's never trash. it's always good, solid stuff.

The first half is Mozart so you should get a seat in the first tier or higher so you can check out Doug and Bob with the new Schagerl rotaries. Oh, yeah... our new tuba player, Steve Campbell, is playing one of the most phenomenal tuba solos at the start of the Aho. He and I are the two Prana mouthpiece guys in the brass section. You heard him last week in "Pines"